


The Lumenaris Festival

by thinlizzy2



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Altar Sex, Biting, Cunnilingus, F/M, Fingerfucking, Friends to Lovers, Masturbation, Religion Kink, Ritual Sex, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-20 00:36:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14249265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thinlizzy2/pseuds/thinlizzy2
Summary: The Lumenaris Festival, a Bajoran holiday centered around giving and receiving pleasure, is celebrated on Deep Space Nine.  Sisko and Kira work through their initial conflict about how to celebrate it and come to a very satisfying agreement.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DoreyG](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoreyG/gifts).



Benjamin Sisko scanned the communication from Bajoran First Minister one more time as he waited for his second-in-command to arrive. It still made no sense to him. Bajoran culture was ancient and complex. He respected it both as a matter of principle and as a visiting resident able to enjoy much of it first-hand. But this latest message was entirely unexpected and he very much needed the advice of his liason officer to know how to manage it. 

 

But once she arrived, Kira Nerys merely nodded like nothing at all was amiss. "The Lumenaris Festival, that's right. It used to happen once every eleven years, before the Occupation, but this will be the first one since the Cardassians came." She handed the PADD back to him. "I've actually been meaning to come and talk to you about it. If we could rearrange the schedules a bit for the Bajoran crew who want to participate, they would really appreciate it. And I'll talk to Dr. Bashir about keeping things safe; he'll probably want to stock up on several different options in any non-Bajoran crew decide to join in as well." 

 

Sisko stared at her. "Join in? Starfleet crew?" That hadn't occurred to him. 

 

She shrugged. "They'd be welcome, so long as they respected the rituals. I'm not suggesting making it mandatory or anything" 

 

He couldn't help but laugh. "No, I don’t think that would work." He tapped the PADD. I'd probably get some pretty concerned messages from Starfleet Command if I tried to enforce mandatory participation in... 'three days of public and private solo, paired and group stimulation and copulation in celebration of the Orb of Sensation.'" He laid the PADD on the desk. She was probably right that some of the station's non-Bajoran residents would be more than eager to celebrate this Lumenaris thing. Hell, Quark was likely already planning to shuttle in shiploads of Ferengi; he should tell Odo to keep an eye on that. And it was possible that even some of his officers would at least like to have the option. But he had to think about the whole station, and not just its more adventurous residents. "To be honest, Major, I think some of the Starfleet crew are going to be very uncomfortable just knowing this is happening." 

 

She furrowed her brow. "How about you?" 

 

For one wild moment, he thought she was inviting him to take part in the festival and his mind reeled. Despite living on Deep Space Nine for years, he had yet to get involved sexually or romatically with any Bajorans. It wasn't that they were unappealing; they were physically very similar to humans and a proportionate number of them were attractive and even beautiful. It was just that whenever he contemplated the Bajoran women he knew and the kind of woman he would be most interested in, his thoughts inevitably strayed to things that were not appropriate for the Captain of a station to contemplate. Those ideas, long-suppressed, crowded into his mind then, and he had to shake his head to clear it before looking up at Kira and realizing what she was actually asking. 

 

"You're saying it's up to me if this festival goes ahead?" 

 

Kira shifted in her chair and he knew from years of experience that she was bracing herself for a fight. "You're the station Captain. If you really wanted to stop it, you probably could. At least here - there would still be celebrations on Bajor. But think about what it would do to morale if you denied the Bajoran crew here the right to celebrate the same way their friends and families on the surface can! Not to mention that the last group of people who tried to stop major Bajoran events from taking place were the Cardassians, and-" 

 

"It's all right." Sisko raised a hand, knowing that she had the point. "It's not my place to be pass judgement or not. It's not my culture. But I think we should designate some areas off-limits for the celebration and let people know what will be happening in advance, in case some of them want to apply for leave." He watched Kira consider that, and then dip her head in agreement. "That means we might not be able to cover everyone who wants to participate for the full three days", Sisko warned her. 

 

Kira shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Most people will be fine with getting just one day free. Only the most devout are planning on doing the full three. Personally, I don't even know if I'm going to be involved at all after the opening ceremony." 

 

It took a moment for her words to sink in but when they did something tightened deep inside his gut. "Opening ceremony?" 

 

"Of course." Kira tented her fingers in front of herself. "I'm the highest ranking Bajoran on the station, so I'll be part of the first coupling in the temple. That will probably be enough, and then I can cover some extra shifts so other-" 

 

Without meaning to, Sisko cut her off. "You're going to have sex in the temple? On the Promenade? In front of everyone?" He couldn't keep the shock out of his voice and from the way she recoiled at his words he knew she heard it.

 

 Not _everyone_. There's limited space in the temple, after all. And there's a system of choosing from different castes, and-" She cut herself off. "You know what? Sure, everyone. Symbolically, it's everyone.

 

She was flustered, which meant she'd be defensive. A wise man would stop now, and Sisko knew that. Still, he couldn't hold back the next question. "With _who_? 

 

"I don't know", Kira snapped. "The first pairing in each location is decided by the Order of Vedeks. I'm military, so maybe someone who can represent civilian government, or someone from the Arts Council, or even from the temple itself. The person doesn't matter; It's about the learning. The act of making yourself vulnerable to give pleasure to someone else, just because you can. And to receive pleasure from them and accepting that you're worthy of it. Can't you see how sacred that is?" 

 

This was all going so much worse than he'd imagined when he called her in, and he hadn't imagined anything great. "I suppose I think it's more sacred in private." 

 

"And I think it's up to me to decide what's private and what's not when it comes to my own body." She rose to her feet. "If you've got a problem with it, go ahead and take leave with anyone else who wants it. The other savages and I can manage things for three days." 

 

Sisko wanted to tell her that wasn't it, that she didn't understand. But the door slid open in front of her and she was gone before he could even get the words out.


	2. Chapter 2

It was 0200 hours and Sisko couldn't sleep. Truth be told, he hadn't been sleeping well for days and the cumulative effect of several restless nights was beginning to get to him. Groaning, he rolled out of bed and gave the computer the command to turn on the lights. 

 

Reaching for his PADD, he called up the latest set of communications from Starfleet Command, thinking that maybe it was unresolved work keeping him awake. But after a few minutes he laid it back down again. The truth was, he knew exactly what was preventing him from sleeping. 

 

The Lumenaris Festival was quickly approaching. 

 

Luckily, he and Kira had been able to put their initial conflict over it behind them. He had apologized for his reaction to her plans and she for her response to that and things had quickly returned to normal. That was generally their way; from their prickly beginning they had learned not only had to work together but how to understand each other. That was the basis of what they had: a good strong friendship that he genuinely enjoyed. It had been unexpected; the grief-stricken lonely Commander and the angry guerilla fighter that they had been when they had first met had probably been more likely than not to end up sworn enemies and the fact that they had gone the other way gave him hope that all things were possible in this world. He wouldn't risk that for anything. 

 

He _couldn't_ risk it. 

 

He'd thought about it, of course. His nights were long and frequently lonely, and there were times when he just couldn't _not_ think of her. And, if he was honest, he imagined she had thought about it too. They spent so much time together, embroiled in work that they were both passionate as hell about. A lot of their time together was spent at a fever pitch, arguing or negotiating, brainstorming or defending each other against the incomprehensible rules of their respective worlds. It was a situation where it was impossible not to have formed an attachment and he had just been happy, up until now, to have managed to largely ignore it in the service of a greater cause. 

He sighed and kicked his blanket aside. 

 

 Largely and completely were two very different concepts.

 

She had received word of who would be her partner for the opening ceremony. For some unknown reason,the Order of Vedeks had chosen Rezad Etas, the captain of that year's championship Springball team. Kira hadn't mentioned it but Sisko had heard it from Dax. He'd immediately searched for information on the man and learned that he was said to be charming, intelligent and dedicated to fair play. His photo had revealed dark blue eyes and a winning smile. By all measures he seemed to be a decent and handsome man. 

 

Sisko had hated him immediately. And he knew he would never change his mind. 

 

And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about Rezad. The more he tried to avoid it, the harder it became to avoid the pictures that crowded into his mind. He imagined the Bajoran man kissing Kira, peeling away her clothes, putting his hands on her creamy skin. The images made his chest fill up with rage. 

 

Then he saw Kira with her head thrown back in pleasure, her breasts exposed, her legs spread to welcome a lover and he moaned out loud. And with that image, he couldn't pretend he didn't know what this was anymore. 

 

He slid his hand into his shorts and his cock, already half-hard just at the mental stimulation alone, stiffened further at the touch. He closed his eyes and imagined Kira's hand in the place of his own. Her palm would be just as rough and calloused as his – soldier's hands, strong and confident, hands that could pull an orgasm from a lover before they even knew what was happening. And yet she was so much smaller than him, slender and slight. The possibilities were endless. 

 

He could imagine taking her against a wall, holding her up as her legs wrapped around his waist. The wall of his _office_ \- that's what he should have done the first time he heard about this ridiculous festival. He should have just taken her then and there and fucked all thoughts of anyone else out of her head. His hips bucked as he imagined that scene, both hands working frantically at his cock now. 

 

Or he could have bent her over his desk and folded his body around and over hers, covering her completely as his cock slammed into the space between her legs again and again. People would have seen through the glass in his door but apparently that wasn't something that she minded. And then everyone would have seen and known that she had picked him. He wasn't some random body assigned to fuck her by people she'd never met. She had picked him and she was loving every minute of it - loving his mouth on her mouth, his skin slapping and rubbing against her skin, his cock shooting deep inside her as her pussy tightened around him. 

 

He barely managed to keep from screaming out her name as his climax tore out of him, staining the sheets and leaving him feeling both satisfied and very deeply not. He must have made _some_ kind of noise though, since a moment later Jake called out from his own room. 

 

"Hey, Dad? Are you okay?" 

 

He had to answer; he couldn't let his son come to check on him and find him like that. "Sorry, Jake. Bad dream." The shakiness in his voice was distressing but authentic. "I'm all right." 

 

The lie seemed to reassure his son, but it hung heavily in the sweaty air of his own bedroom. He was very very far from being all right and he damn well knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

Sisko managed to avoid Kira outside of Ops for the next few days. It wasn't hard. The Promenade was busier than it had ever been before, with shiploads of Bajorans coming from the surface and nearly as many very eager foreign tourists arriving. With all the hustle and bustle, it made sense to spend his off hours in his quarters. And Kira was usually very busy preparing for the festival. Whenever he did see her in passing she was spreading sweetsand or burning supposedly purifying incense or deep in conversation with the temple attendants. But avoiding a close colleague in a finite space was only going to be possible for so long and so he wasn't surprised when he heard her call out to him from outside the temple doors. 

 

"Captain Sisko? Can you give me a hand?" 

 

She was on top of a ladder stretching to hang some dried Galbana leaves in the doorway. Seeing the ladder beginning to sway, he hurried over and climbed up behind her, plucking the vines from her hand. It wasn't until the leaves were hung that he realized his mistake. He should have let her get down first; as it was she was pinned between him and metal rungs and by holding onto the sides of the ladder he was essentially holding her in his arms. Knowing that it was absolutely unacceptable to allow himself to savor the moment, he leapt down, landing a bit hard on his left ankle. 

 

Kira looked downward in confusion. "Are you all right, Captain?" 

 

Sisko flexed his ankle a few times; nothing appeared to be broken. "Just lost my grip. I'll be fine." He gestured up at the decorations. "It looks good." 

 

Kira nodded and climbed down. "We're working mostly from written records; almost no one can remember actually seeing a Lumenaris Festival happen and the Cardassians destroyed almost all the visual images they could find. But we're doing our best and it _feels_ authentic." 

 

"Do you think Rezad Etas will approve?" The man's name tasted sour in Sisko's mouth but he was distracted from that by Kira's halfhearted shrug. 

 

"I have no idea. I've never met him." 

 

"You don't sound like you especially want to." Luckily, his words didn't seem to call back her earlier anger and so he couldn't stop himself from pressing on. "You know, Nerys, you don’t have to do this if you don't want to." He spoke without thinking, only hearing himself after the fact. He wasn't sure if he'd ever called her Nerys before. 

 

She didn't seem to notice. "I do." Her voice was firm and at first he thought she was saying that she did want to do it and his heart sank. But then she went on. "I do have to. Starting the Lumenaris Festival been the responsibility of Bajoran community leaders for thousands of years, and like it or not I'm the leader of the Bajoran community on this station. I've got a responsibility to the people here to show them that our traditions are back. The Cardassians didn't kill them, no matter how hard they tried. It's just that now that there's a name and a face..." 

 

She sighed and shook her head as if to clear it. Sisko had been struck several times before by how suddenly alarmingly beautiful she became when she smiled, but he had never been quite so aware of her quiet prettiness when she was deep in thought. "Is there someone else you would prefer?" 

 

He couldn't keep himself from asking it, but he hadn't meant the question to sound quite so urgent. She looked him in the face, perhaps surprised at his tone. Their eyes locked and he realized he couldn't look away. 

 

"It's not about preference." A pink flush began to spread up her throat and he wanted so badly to place his lips on that blushing skin. "It's a holy act. Preference doesn't even begin to enter into it, never mind compatibility or – desire." Her voice broke a little on the last word and he saw that the coloration had moved to her cheeks and darkened to a deeper red. He couldn't help staring and she must have noticed since she quickly stepped back, breaking the eye contact and the moment of intimacy. "I should probably get back to work." She grabbed her basket of dried leaves and disappeared through the temple doors. 

 

It took everything he had not to follow her in there. 

 

Instead, he walked slowly back to his quarters, silently arguing with himself all the way. It was very possible that he was misreading the situation. They were friends, but he was still her commanding officer; maybe she was just embarrassed to be having such a personal conversation with him. Kira wasn't the sort to embarrass easily, but everyone had their limits and- 

 

And maybe he was an idiot talking himself out of something he desperately wanted. 

 

But he couldn't just ask her what she was feeling or what she wanted. She had said so many times that her own feelings and desires weren't the issue here, and he knew that was true. Even as a child, Kira had been willing to lay down her life to restore her lost culture; she had joined the resistance at an age when Sisko had still been playing Starship Captains with his school friends. It made perfect sense that she would take on this duty as well for the same cause. If he was going to have hope, and he wanted so much to have hope, then he was going to need to do something to show her that he respected her commitment to her faith and her people. Even if it meant tolerating the idea of her with Rezad Etas. Or anyone else the Council of Vedeks chose to send in his place. 

 

The idea hit him like a phaser blast. 

 

When he got to his quarters, he didn't allow himself to hesitate for a moment. He headed straight for the Comm panel and summoned the information for the contact he needed. His call was answered quickly. "Emissary! What an honor! We weren't expecting to hear from you? Is everything all right?" 

 

Sisko really hoped that it would be. He had never sought his position in the Bajoran faith, had ever even been really comfortable with it. Still, he was grateful for it now since it may be the key to everything he wanted. "I need a favor." He began to explain his plan.


	4. Chapter 4

He was surprised by how peaceful it all was. This was no Risan orgy. The crowd was mostly Bajoran, although Sisko saw several other species mixed in including several members of his own crew. Vedeks in long flowing robes walked among the couples and groups, distributing bracelets and charms for earrings. Small groups gathered in various places to sing hymns. If he hadn’t been so nervous, he would have enjoyed this for the ambiance alone. 

 

As it was, he just took a deep breath and headed for the temple. 

 

It was less crowed than he had expected. There were some observers waiting quietly at the sides of the room who murmured greetings to their Emissary as Sisko came in, but the room was far from packed. From his recent research, he knew that had once been the norm for the Lumenaris Festival. Most people didn't need to witness the opening ceremony for the festival; in this celebration of trust just knowing that it was happening was enough. And he remembered what Kira had said about limiting the audience. But there were still more than enough observers to make his stomach knot. He did his best to ignore them and focus on why he was there. 

 

Kira stood by the altar, gently lit by dozens of candles at her feet. Her long creamy robes seemed impossibly thin; he could easily see the lush curves of her body though them. The Vedeks had used ylampa oil on her skin and outlined her eyes with golden krell. She seemed as bright as one of the candle flames.

 

He couldn't read her expression when she looked up and noticed him. "Captain! You haven't... come to watch, have you?" 

 

He shook his head and climbed the steps of the dais. "I've got some news. Rezad isn't coming." He registered the worry in her dark eyes but as she glanced around the temple he knew that she was concerned for all the Bajorans waiting for the festival to begin and not for Rezad himself. "And I also have a confession. That's on me. I called the Council of Vedeks and asked them not to send him." The crowd began to murmer in alarm. 

 

When her face darkened in anger, all the makeup in the world couldn't keep her from looking like the Kira Nerys that he knew so well. In spite of his situation, he couldn't help but smile at that familiar expression. "Really?" He could tell by her voice that she was ready for a fight. "Why in the world would you do that?" 

 

Sisko drew a deep breath. "Because I wanted to take his place." Then he stepped forward, closing the gap between and kissed her hard. There was a terrible moment when she froze in his arms, and then he felt her respond. Her mouth opening up under his, her muscles relaxing and turning pliant – it was all such a huge relief after the recent stress and he held her tightly, pouring all the past anxiety and current hope into their embrace. 

 

She pulled away far too soon. "Captain-" 

 

"Ben." His breath was coming hard already. "I think it's okay if you call me Ben." 

 

The name sounded tender in her mouth. "Ben. You... aren't the only one who wants this. But Lumenaris – it isn't just about what people want." 

 

"I know. It's about vulnerability. Holiness. Sharing pleasure with those in need of it. The Vedeks made me take notes." The surprise on her face was absolutely adorable. "I probably didn't need to though; I could have just listened to you. But I understand now. Will you let me show you?" 

 

It felt like forever until she answered. But when she gave her nod and came back into his arms, kissing _him_ this time, her tongue sliding between his lips with delicious promise, he felt his heart soar. He returned the kiss, rubbing their bodies together and letting her feel just how much he wanted her until they were both panting and ready for more. His instinct was to lead her away from the observers, to take her somewhere private and make love to her all night, but he knew that wouldn't be possible. When he formed this plan, he knew they would do things her way this time. 

 

So instead he undid the fragile ties on her robes, letting them slide to the ground. He couldn't hold back a moan at the sight of her body. The golden krell had been liberally applied all over, highlighting her beautiful breasts, her flat belly, the curve of her hips and the area between them that was everything that he wanted right now. Bending down, he put his mouth where the shimmering powder was, laving his tongue over one hard nipple and then the other, licking a stripe down the center of her stomach. He didn't even try to hold back the crow of triumph as she rolled her pelvis towards him, signaling him onwards. And when he felt her begin to sway, her knees growing weak, he took the opportunity to life her up onto the altar and kneel between her legs, ready to feast on what he found there. 

 

He ran a finger along her warm, pink skin, finding her thrillingly wet. "Nerys? Is this okay?" He let just the tip of that finger penetrate the folds of her body. "Are you all right?" 

 

Her head was thrown back and her eyes were closed. " _Ygulat mendorum SanDropel._ " He recognized the Bajoran words, the traditional utterance of the Lumenaris festival. _I willingly give._ The sentiment was beautiful, but it paled in comparison to Nerys opening her eyes to grin cockily down at him. "And I'm more than all right. Ben." 

 

He felt himself return her smile. And then, unable to resist anymore, he allowed himself to taste her. Her body juddered at the first swipe of his tongue; he joyfully realized that she must have been more than ready. A few more licks and her moans were reverberating around the room, amplified by temple walls cunningly angled to reflect the soaring songs of praise. 

 

The noise from the onlookers was getting louder, but Sisko found that he suddenly couldn't care less. _Let them watch_ , he thought, as Kira Nerys writhed at the end of his tongue. _Let them watch as he gave all the pleasure he could to this person he cared about so much, the trusted friend with whom he had rebuilt a world, the gorgeous woman he wanted more than anything right now._ And that was all the consideration that he gave to any of them before returning his attention to licking and nibbling at Nerys. He focused on giving her all the pleasure he could as she rubbed herself frantically against his face and e relished the feeling of her hard, muscled thighs tightening around his upper body as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. 

 

When her moans turned to keening, he knew that she needed more. He was as hard as an iron pipe and even the minute friction of his uniform fabric against his twitching cock was driving him insane. The urge to climb onto the altar and take her, right there in front of everyone, was almost irrestistible. He forced himself to hold back; if he was lucky there would be time for that later. This was the first orgasm of the restored Lumenaris festival tradition, and he wanted it to be all about her. 

 

So he buried his fingers into her, a slow slide of two at first and then the harder push of three, right to the knuckles once he realized how wet and pliant her flesh had become and how ready her body was to welcome him inside. He rubbed his thumb over her clit as he worked his finger in and out of her, kissing and licking at her thighs and then, giving in to temptation just a bit, closing his teeth on her in a gentle bite. 

 

Nerys's body froze, and then shook. Her scream of pleasure was like pure music in the holy room and even though Sisko's cock was still untouched, hard and demanding beneath a layer of fabric, he would have sworn he felt her pleasure. And then she fell silent, going still and soft on the altar as he crawled up beside her and took her in his arms. 

 

"Still all right?" Sisko asked, drinking in the sight of her. Her cheeks were pink and her hair was damp with sweat. He didn't think she'd ever looked more beautiful than she did right then. 

 

"Better than all right." They were both still breathing hard, but her laughter was soft. "Who needs Springball champions, really?" And Sisko couldn't help but agree. 

 

All around them, the onlookers were dividing up into pairs and groups, embracing each other and shedding clothing, welcoming newcomers and heading out to the larger Promenade to see who they could find to love. The opening ceremony was officially over, and yet Sisko knew he couldn't let her go yet. Luckily, she didn't seem to be in any hurry to go anywhere.

 

"I can see why your people were so eager to bring the Lumenaris Festival back." He stroked her hair. "It's definitely worth celebrating. I understand that now." 

 

A tiny crease appeared between Nerys's brows. She raised herself up on one elbow to look him in the face. "Do you?" There was a teasing edge to her voice that he just loved. "Do you really?" She laid her hand on his chest, and that simple touch promised much more. 

 

Sisko aimed to match her bantering tone. "I would hope so. Absolutely. Although I'm far from an expert. Do you have any tips for me?" 

 

Her hand started a slow slide downward, and Sisko felt his heartrate increasing. "Lumenaris, is about giving _and_ receiving. Don't get me wrong you are absolutely amazing at giving. Ten out of then, and we'll definitely do that again. But you haven't received yet, and that's unacceptable." 

 

He laughed out loud. It was amazing to think that their initial disagreement about this festival had come to this, but he couldn't be happier with the outcome. "Is it? I'd hate to be culturally disrespectful. What would you suggest?" 

 

In response, she swung one leg around, shifting their bodies so that he was lying prone beneath her, pinned against the altar. From her position astride him, she gave one of those rare, stunning smiles of hers and Sisko knew he was beaming in response. Then he lay back and waited for Kira Nerys to teach him how to worship properly.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for DoreyG for Smut Swap 2018. DoreyG, I have been wanting to write these two forever! Thank you so much for requesting them and I hope you enjoyed your gift.


End file.
